5 New Apps for Back to School

A monthly showcase of the latest mobile apps for educators and students. This month's roundup features a selection of apps to help students and teachers study, create, and take notes.

learnist iphone app

Learnist for iPhone.


  • Designed for students to keep track of grades, classes, and terms, School Grade Tracker features a built-in calendar, GPA calculator, and grade predictor. The app will store grades for each class separated by category of assignment. Students can also access their email to contact teachers from within the app. $0.99; iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad.
  • Education pinboard site Learnist releases new apps for iOS devices. Designed with the mobile devices in mind, the iPad and iPhone apps let users add photos and video to their boards via the mobile camera and use GPS to show location when maps are featured. Free; iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone.
  • The creators of the Technology in Education app search website have launched AppyMall, a new site for finding education apps for K-12 age kids. The site categorizes apps by grade level and learning skill, dividing apps into five categories: preschool, elementary school, middle school, speech and language, and special needs. Currently, the site is running a raffle for an iPad 3 through September 15 on its Web site.
  • Note-taking app School Notes lets users take typed or hand written notes, record audio during lectures, or capture videos of entire lessons, and create flashcards. Notes—in any format—can be synced to class schedules or calendars. Also included are a selection of math and science reference materials. $1.99; iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad.
  • Story Creator lets users create books featuring photos, videos, and text in a single collection. Users can also narrate their stories with audio. Stories can be shared with others and downloaded to their own app. Those using and sharing stories can also add comments and highlight portions. Free; iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad.
Did we miss any apps? Let us know in the comments or e-mail us.

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

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